Over the past 15 years, KIS has helped children reap the multitude of benefits associated with team sports, including improved health and fitness, better performance in school, increased communication skills, and a greater sense of self. 

KIS also offers its participants possibilities that extend far beyond individual growth or the local community. Such is certainly the case for KIS alumna Nikki Speed, who turned the basketball skills she sharpened through her time with KIS’ Pasadena YES Sports Club into a scholarship to play college basketball at powerhouse Rutgers University. 

Now a college sophomore, Nikki started with KIS at the sports club when she was just five years old. Self-admittedly, an “aggressive” basketball player, Nikki learned through her time at KIS how to channel her aggressive playing into remarkable skill on the court. 

By her second year in high school, Nikki was playing on her school’s most selective basketball team, where she was chosen as All-State Player of the Year. She continued to play both at her high school, where she received numerous accolades, and with KIS at Pasadena YES Sports Club along with her brother. When she was offered a place on the Rutgers University women’s basketball team, she accepted. 

Nikki considers KIS to have been integral to both her success in high school basketball and her resulting opportunity to continue playing at the college level. She sees Rutgers basketball as her chance to “make an impact.” 

KIS is proud to have contributed to the achievements of participants like Nikki. Since its founding in 1994, KIS has been a catalyst for success for youth ages 5-17. KIS currently operates 15 sports clubs which serve more than 8,000 kids annually through three seasons of sports. Boys and girls participate in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, and volleyball at parks and schools throughout Los Angeles.